Scotland v Italy
Scotland v Italy - Preview
Martyn Thomas
August 28, 2015
Scotland's Peter Horne keeps his place at centre against Italy. © Getty Images
Enlarge
Related Links
Teams: Italy | Scotland

Scotland welcome Italy to Murrayfield buoyed by last weekend's 16-12 win over the same opposition in Turin, but still with work to do as coach Vern Cotter prepares to name his 31-man Rugby World Cup squad. The New Zealander has rotated his side once again as he looks to finalise his plans, bringing in several experienced heads for their first taste of action this summer. Italy coach Jacques Brunel, on the other hand, has already named his final squad and will be looking for a reaction from those involved following last week's agonising defeat.

Team news
Cotter has again rung the changes, handing the likes of Stuart Hogg, Mark Bennett, Finn Russell, Jonny Gray and captain Greig Laidlaw their first run outs in the warm-up matches. South African-born prop Willem Nel makes his first international start, while John Barclay makes his first start since 2013 and Ryan Wilson also returns to the pack having served a three-month suspension following an assault conviction.

Italy are also much-changed with only six players retaining their place from last week's game at the Stadio Olimpico. Leonardo Ghiraldini, who came off the bench in Turin, captains the side as he win his 77th cap, and is joined in the front row by former Leicester favourite Martin Castrogiovanni. Newcastle's Joshua Furno is handed a chance to impress at lock, while Tomasso Allan again starts at fly-half.

Key head-to-head
Scotland fly-half Finn Russell returns to make his first Scotland appearance since the Six Nations. Barring a late injury, the 22-year-old will be his country's starting playmaker at the World Cup and will be intent on putting in a controlled and dominant performance to help the hosts depart Murrayfield on a high. His opposite number, Tomasso Allan, is guaranteed to start for Italy next month and whether he can put his side in the right areas in Edinburgh will give an early indication of how the Azzurri might fare in England.

Key stats
* The first game between the two sides was played in Edinburgh on Dec. 14, 1996. Scotland won 29-22.

* Scotland's biggest win over Italy came at Murrayfield on Aug. 23, 2003 when they won 47-15.

* Italy have beaten Scotland at Murrayfield three times, the most recent coming on their last visit in February.

Odds
Scotland are 1/5 favourites to beat Italy with UniBet, while the Azzurri are priced at 13/4 with the same firm.

Weather
Rain is predicted in the build-up to kick off and although it should ease off, conditions do not look like they will be conducive to running rugby.

Prediction
Scotland will be determined to bid farewell to their fans with a win, and with a host of experienced players returning they should be expected to do just that. It should be close but anything other than a home win would give Cotter serious cause for concern.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.